- 1 Brunson turned the night into a show before the break
- 2 The Knicks were even stronger as a group
- 3 Philadelphia tried a small tactical tweak, but it never stopped the flood
- 4 The Sixers collapse ran too deep
- 5 Embiid and Maxey never had the impact expected
- 6 New York landed the first punch, but the real work starts now
The Knicks didnt just win Game 1. They flattened it. At Madison Square Garden, New York rolled past Philadelphia 137-98 in a one-sided rout, driven by a scorching Jalen Brunson, ruthless shot-making and an intensity that turned the opening game of the series into an outright statement. In a conference semifinal that was supposed to be much tighter, the Sixers mostly looked late, flat and miles off the pace set by New York.
Of course, a series is never decided by one game, even less so when the margin is this brutal. But this win already says plenty about where New York is right now. This team plays with belief, with continuity, with real mental toughness. And above all, it has a leader who knows exactly when to blow the doors off a game. On Monday night, Brunson was the heartbeat of it all.
Try it for $0.99.
Brunson turned the night into a show before the break
There are players who take over a game. And then there are the ones who devour it. Jalen Brunson clearly picked option two. With 35 points, 27 of them coming in the first half, he set the tone for a game New York barely let slip from its grip. His buzzer-beating three at the end of the half summed up the whole night: everything was falling for the Knicks, and everything was slipping away from the Sixers.
Jalen Brunson 35 PTS, 3 AST, 2 STL, 12/18 FG, 3/6 3FG, 8/8 FT, 81.3% TS vs 76ers pic.twitter.com/ayp26RIlGO https://t.co/XoPqNm8FrP
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) May 5, 2026
What stands out with Brunson, beyond the numbers, is the control. He never looks like he is forcing the issue. He reads the floor, picks his spots and punishes teams. Against Philadelphia, he found his rhythm early again, mixing drives, outside shots and the kind of cold-blooded stretches that break an opponent. And when the Knicks guard is this composed, the rest of the team seems to breathe easier.
The Knicks were even stronger as a group
To pin this on Brunson alone would be unfair to the rest of the roster. New York shot 63% overall and kept the offence flowing for most of the first half. OG Anunoby added 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges finished with 17 apiece. More than anything, the Knicks looked like a team that always had another answer.
That is probably what hurt Philadelphia most. Every time the Sixers tried to make a push, New York came back with another scorer, another creator, another player ready to punish them instantly. That offensive variety suffocated Philadelphia completely. On one side, you had a team looking for some kind of foothold. On the other, a machine ticking over.
Philadelphia tried a small tactical tweak, but it never stopped the flood
The Sixers did at least have an idea. They tried to get Karl-Anthony Towns into foul trouble and force Mike Brown to go to Mitchell Robinson earlier than planned, then send Robinson to the line on purpose. On paper, it was not a bad thought. Robinson, in fact, missed all four of his free throws in that stretch. The problem was that this side battle never came close to dealing with the real issue of the night: New Yorks offence was operating at an unbearable level.
In the first quarter, the Knicks were already shooting the lights out. By halftime, they were 29 for 44 from the field. At that point, Philadelphia was no longer thinking about slowing New York down so much as avoiding total embarrassment. And even that proved difficult.
The Sixers collapse ran too deep
The opening minutes had suggested a game with a bit more life in it. Philadelphia tried to hold firm, run something clean and stop New York from racing away. But as the second quarter wore on, the gap opened up as though the game was slowly slipping beyond reach. When Brunson buried that three just before the break to make it 74-51, it already felt done.
The second half only confirmed it. The Knicks came out with the same touch, the same energy, the same appetite for killing any hint of suspense. The lead pushed past 30 points, and Nick Nurse quickly decided it was time to save his key men rather than watch them get dragged through the mud.
That is perhaps the most worrying part for the Sixers: they never really looked capable of changing the game. They didnt implode in one moment. They were worn down, chipped away at, then swept aside.
Embiid and Maxey never had the impact expected
And in a game of this size, that simply doesnt cut it. Joel Embiid finished with 14 points on a miserable 3-of-11 shooting. Tyrese Maxey managed just 13 and had to wait a long time for his first basket. Paul George added 17, but it barely touched the bigger issue: Philadelphias stars were outplayed, plain and simple.
The Sixers had just come through a bruising series against Boston, wrapped up after a comeback. But on Monday, they looked like a team still feeling the effects of that war. Against a New York group that was fresher, cleaner and sharper, it showed immediately.
New York landed the first punch, but the real work starts now
This was a huge win, but it still counts for only one game in the series. And maybe thats the best thing for the Knicks: there is no room for complacency after a beating like that, because everyone knows a shooting night that hot does not simply repeat itself.
Even so, Game 1 leaves a very clear picture. New York is rolling, confident in its basketball, with Brunson still terrifying for the Sixers and an offence that looks more natural by the day. Philadelphia has to respond fast, because falling 0-2 before heading home would already put this series in dangerous territory.
For now, the Big Apple can enjoy the night. The Knicks didnt just win. They made their point.
Discover the rest of the latest sports news on mathodds!
Leave a Reply